Microsoft Boasts Of IE Tools

Windows 8 offers a hybrid computing experience with Microsoft building an operating system designed to support both touch and mouse input.

So the company is pushing a new tool to woo web developers to touch up their sites for optimal IE 10 and Windows 8 performance. The modern.ie site allows anyone to input their web address and get a quick diagnostic rundown of how to build better compatibility.

I tried out the tool on my own blog and received predominantly positive results (mostly a testament to WordPress and the Genesis framework rather than my own Web design skills). The only area that the modern.ie tool suggested I fix was creating a Windows 8 start pin and building in touch-friendly performance.

So will this kind of marketing strategy work? Even though Windows 8 is not selling at a breakneck pace, Windows 8 is still going to continue to grow as computer shoppers buy new PCs. It canâ€™t hurt to get a site Windows 8 ready, but there isnâ€™t exactly any rush to do so, either.

The bigger threat to IE10 is the increasing movement toward mobile devices. As smartphone users continue to choose Android or iOS in large numbers, that doesnâ€™t leave a lot of room for IE. When one can sync their browser tabs from a computer running Safari or Chrome to their smartphone, this doesnâ€™t leave much room for Internet Explorer, unless you are willing to go all-in with Windows.

Windows 8 has a lot of great stuff going for it, but it certainly feels like Microsoft is battling a head wind. IE 10â€™s success may be closely tied to the fate of Windows 8.